


Five Times Steve Rogers Captain America'd Darcy and the one time she Darcy Lewis'd him

by Katefkndoes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, five things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 14:47:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20194015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katefkndoes/pseuds/Katefkndoes
Summary: Darcy and Steve get to know each other.There is something that happens in part 4 which is quite upsetting so you may want to read the notes first.





	Five Times Steve Rogers Captain America'd Darcy and the one time she Darcy Lewis'd him

**Author's Note:**

> In part four an OC has a seizure. It is not particularly graphic (or well written) but it is there so please be aware.

**1.**

** **

Six am. Usually a time when Darcy would have been comfortably tucked up in bed, blissfully asleep and decidedly  _ not  _ standing in  _ the  _ longest check-in queue she'd ever seen in her entire life. Darcy liked to think that she was a pretty laid back sort-of gal, but with only forty minutes till her flight was due to depart she was getting pretty damn stressed.

(And who the hell thought it was a good idea to book a flight for the very ass crack of dawn anyway?)

Oh right,  _ him. _

On reflection it was hardly an auspicious start to her vacation-cum-self-discovery road trip when she was going to miss her first flight. No, Darcy was more than stressed, she was practically vibrating with nervous energy and she wasn't in the mood to deal  _ with anyone _ . So naturally she was faced with an overly perky blonde girl when she finally reached the check-in desk.

"Shit, I can't believe how late I am." She tried to joke, breathless from the awkward jog she'd managed to execute while hurrying toward the desk. The perky girl smiled at her sickly-sweet as she handed over her passport. At any other time Darcy might have had a smart-assed comment about automated service but she really was in a rush and saw no reason to antagonize the girl.

"Can you place your bag on the scale, please." Darcy did as instructed. There was no point trying to talk, she didn't want to distract her one hope of even having any kind of chance of making her plane.

"What do you think the chances are that I'll clear security within the next thirty minutes?" She asked as the girl finally handed over her boarding pass. The blonde's face slipped for a fraction of a second, revealing her amusement - but Darcy merely bit her tongue. Maybe she was maturing in her old age? Or maybe she was just resigned to her own failure that it wasn't fair to judge those who mocked her?

"The line is that way." She said blithely, indicting toward the single longest line for security in the world. (And really, she had negotiated Heathrow airport in mid-July, so she had literally been to the worst airport on earth.)

** **

“Of course it is.” She answered with false cheer as she retrieved the passport and boarding pass with resignation.

** **

She’d just joined the back of the line, (right behind four boys who made absolutely  _ no  _ secret of checking out her assets), when, right on cue, her phone began to ring. She didn’t need to check her caller ID to know exactly who it was. In fact, she was mildly surprised that she hadn’t received a call  _ much  _ earlier - like ideally when she should have been awake, or before she’d forgotten her passport and had to go home. Or when she’d gotten lost on the way to the terminal. Really, any of those times would have been better than right at that moment.

** **

“Darcy, where are you?” Came the familiar voice.

** **

“Hello to you, too. How has your morning gone? Frankly, mine has been atrocious. So, uh, I guess I’ll just have to meet you in LA.” She sighed, waiting for the lecture.

** **

“Are you okay?” The voice filled with concern.

** **

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just stuck in the line from hell, and I just don’t think I’m gonna make the plane.” There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the phone, which came as a surprise, but  _ certainly _ did nothing to improve her mood. “You know what, I am not in the mood to deal with you laughing at me.” She snapped.

** **

“Alright, alright. Give me, uh, five minutes, okay?” He said, sounding suddenly serious.

** **

“Okay, whatever.” She said.

** **

Call her pessimistic, but she wasn’t really expecting a solution to present itself, so when she heard her name called she dismissed it as her imagination. However, several moments later a dark-skinned man appeared at her side.

** **

“Darcy Lewis?” He asked, and she merely looked at him blankly for a moment before she found her voice.

** **

“Um… yeah?” She pulled her carry-on higher up on her shoulder.

** **

“Excellent.” He grinned. “Could you gather your things and follow me?”

** **

“Okay…” she answered again, trying not to panic. “Uh, did I do something wrong?”

** **

“Oh, no no. Your, uh, friend asked if your security check could be expedited.” He said matter-of-factly. (Privately, Darcy wondered how that conversation had gone, but outwardly she merely blushed.) Nevertheless, within two minutes she had cleared customs and was being escorted towards her gate. She wondered whether she would ever live it down.

** **

Steve was waiting for at the gate, with two large coffees and a small smirk on his face. In that moment Darcy really hated him. She hated everything from his sun-kissed blond hair and his ridiculously broad shoulders, right down to his teenage-girl-sized waist and chunky boots.

** **

“Thank you  _ so _ much for your assistance,” Steve addressed Darcy’s escort, and handed Darcy one of the large cups, which she took a well-earned drink from. Caramel Cappucino, her personal favourite. She left a little of her hatred evaporate as she took another mouthful. Next to her the man’s grin became impossibly wider as the blond offered his hand.

“It was my pleasure, Sir.” He replied, with no hint of irony, shaking the Captain’s hand for several seconds too long before he bade them his goodbyes and practically skipped back to his post.

“I think that’s an abuse of power.” Darcy said dryly, taking another swig of her over-sized coffee.

** **

“I don’t know what you mean.” He replied innocently, and she arched an eyebrow at him.

** **

“Well, I think, for all the trauma, I should get to see your passport photo.” She smirked.  _ No one _ , not even Captain Fantastic looked good on their passport photo. Steve shrugged, and handed over his passport, in turn she handed over her coffee so she could get a better look.

** **

“Of course.” She muttered to herself, as she revealed the photo. Anyone who looked that good at six in the morning had no right to look even better on his passport picture. (And holy shit, this road trip was looking like a worse idea with every passing second they spent alone.) “And really, does no one ever question your date of birth?” 

** **

“Can’t say it’s ever been a problem.” He answered with a smirk. Darcy took a moment to look him up and down lasciviously. She took in his perfectly tailored leather jacket which only served to find his accentuate his assets.

** **

“Looking pretty good for a nonagenarian.” She said, giving him a suggestive wink. She had been hoping to gain some sort of reaction from him - a blush at the very least - but he merely cocked his head to one side.

** **

“Didn’t realise I was taking a trip with a Stark.”

** **

“Aww, and  _ there’s  _ the jaw of disappointment I was hoping to see when I woke up this morning.” She rolled her eyes.

** **

“You think of me in bed?” He whipped back quickly. She looked at him for a long moment, trying to come to terms with this new turn of events. She really hadn’t known the Captain all that long, but even she knew that he wasn’t the relic people took him for. She hadn’t expected him to be such a smart ass though, and maybe her brain was a little addled owing to the early hour, but she got the distinct impression that he was more than a match for her in the biting humor stakes. Eventually coming to her senses, she hit him forcefully on the arm and winced at the quick stab of pain that shot up her arm as she hit the solid mass.

** **

“Oww,” she grimaced.

** **

“That’s what you get when you hit innocent people.” He said, a playful smile tugging on his lips. And Jesus, this was going to be a long holiday.

** **

“Is this trip going to be one long PSA? If so do I still have time to retract my offer.” Steve merely rolled his eyes.

** **

“Your baggage is checked, the plane is boarding, I think that ship has already sailed.”

** **

“Ship? But I don’t like water.” She replied, playing dumb. But at least her joke managed to gain a small chuckle - which was a hell of a lot less annoying when she intended him to laugh. “We really should get going.” She gestured to the three people still waiting to enter the plane.

** **

“Lead the way, Miss Lewis.” He said, lowering his voice. 

** **

Darcy took one deep breath and headed to the door.

**** ****   
  


**2.**

** **

“You want me to walk up there?” Darcy said incredulously, as she eyed a set of steep stairs, which went up as far as she could see.

** **

“Well, the most direct route to the tower is up there. We could walk around, but it’s an extra couple of miles.” Darcy narrowed her eyes. She had no idea there would be so much walking when she agreed to this vacation. That morning she had put on her most trusty pair of converse sneakers, but Steve had already managed to drag her halfway across the city already and it wasn’t even two in the afternoon. One thing had become apparent in their excursion - she definitely wasn’t in anywhere near the same kind of physical shape as Steve. If only she’d actually endured those self-defense training sessions with Natasha.

** **

“Fine, fine.” She submitted. “But I’m going to get a coffee before I even  _ think _ about starting that.” She huffed, and jogged across the road to the fancy looking Starbucks, which seemed out of place in the otherwise residential surroundings. Still, she reasoned, it’s location made a hell of a lot of sense when she realised it was at the bottom of the stairs from hell. It was perfectly located to tend to the needs of anyone thinking of climbing up to Coit Tower.

** **

Several minutes later, coffee in her hand, Darcy began her arduous ascent. She was actually feeling pretty good when she reached the first platform - even if she was slightly disconcerted to find someone looking out of their kitchen widow about three feet from her face. She wasn’t entirely sure why someone would want to build a house on such a steep slope, and she certainly wasn’t sure she’d appreciate living on an actual tourist route, which must have been really busy during the summer season, but each to their own.

** **

They walked in companionable silence across the platform and up the next flight of crooked stairs. Upon reaching the top she took a moment to catch her breath under the guise of admiring the view, and allowed herself to enjoy a long sip of her caramel frappe as she collapsed on the railing.

** **

“I really need to take up jogging.” She mused. “Although in my defense, I’m not sure any sports bra could contain these puppies.” She gestured to her breasts, and noted, with no small amount of satisfaction, that Steve’s eyes dipped to check them out. “Still, best keep moving, I’m sure the view is much better from the top.”

** **

“Yeah, uh, let's go.” He agreed.

** **

Two sets of stairs later, however, Darcy was feeling distinctly less positive.

** **

“Just leave me behind, Rogers.” She waved him on, no longer caring that she sounded pathetic. The heat had picked up during the day and she could feel herself sweating. She must have looked an absolute mess. There was just no need for Steve to stay and wait for her. Hell, at that point she would have appreciated him leaving, if only so she could have a few moments to compose herself. “Seriously, just carry on without me.” She said over-dramatically.

** **

Steve merely smiled and her. The bastard wasn’t sweating and didn’t look remotely out of breath. She hated him. Had it not been for the young couple who were sat on a tree stump a little further up, who looked just as devastated to find more stairs as she felt, she would have felt utterly pathetic. As it was she shared a pained look with the young red-headed girl.

** **

“You know, it’s not…”

** **

“So help me if you finish that sentence Steve, it might be the last one you ever do.” She muttered, and Steve smiled.

** **

“I didn’t realise it was quite this far.” Darcy felt certain he was lying, but at least he was trying to placate her.

** **

“Meh, it’s fine.” She said, tossing her half empty cup into a dilapidated looking trash can, and beginning her walk again.

** **

“I could carry you.” Steve said, the words all jumbled together as though he was embarrassed. Darcy rounded on him, and looked at him for a long moment.

** **

“You know, I am perfectly capable of walking up a few stairs.” Rather prudently, Steve didn’t disagree.

** **

“I know, but why struggle when you don’t have to?” He said simply, and Darcy had to admit there was little room for disagreement.

** **

“There is absolutely no way I’m going to let you carry me up these stairs like I’m a some sort of blushing bride.” She said indignantly.

** **

“I had no intention of doing that.” He said, stepping into her personal space. “I was going to piggyback you.” He shrugged on shoulder.

** **

“Oh, that’s one off the bucket list. I’ve always said I’d like to ride a Super Soldier.” She said, hoping to throw him off balance.

** **

“Trust me, it’ll be the ride of your life.” He promised, and she found herself laughing. He smile and turned his back to her. “Hop on, Miss Lewis.” He instructed and she bit her lip, before doing as she was instructed. She jumped up and he lifted her as though she weighed nothing, before turning tail to continue their ascent.

** **

As they passed the couple, she saw the red-head shot her partner a pleading glance, only to have him reply with a simple shake of his head. Darcy couldn’t help but laugh softly against Steve’s ear as raced up the stairs, barely jostling her as he did. 

** **

If all the Super Soldiering work ever dried up, Darcy felt confident that Steve could hire himself out as a steed for hire and make a killing.

** **

They reached the top within a minute, and Steve lowered her to the ground. And he  _ still _ wasn’t out of breath despite carrying over a hundred pounds of her up several flights of steps, at a pace Usain Bolt would have been proud of. Somewhere, during her musings he had turned to face her, and cocked an eyebrow. He looked smug and while that wasn’t usually a look she found attractive, Steve Rogers seemed to make it work.

** **

“You promised me the ride of my life.” She said bluntly. “That was a little brief.” She said, with a grin of her own. He blinked a couple of times before he answered.

** **

“Touche,” he replied with the sexiest half-smile she’d ever seen. Like, literally, she could almost feel her pants melting, and not just because of the extreme California heat.

** **

She was absolutely  _ fucking _ screwed.

**** ****   
  


**3.**

** **

Darcy had never been what you’d call outdoorsy. Hell, she preferred to spend as much time as possible indoors, ideally with internet access. Or alternatively with a good book and a hot drink. Still, she had sworn that she would live outside of her comfort zone for the duration of her trip, after all, she had decided she needed to take the time to ‘find herself’ before she entered the big bad world of real work. (Admittedly, real work meant she was going to be paid to act as Research and Development Media Relations Liaison - which was a very important sounding title which meant she was essentially a scientist herder with access to Stark Industries social media accounts. Her mother was  _ very _ proud - even if she had no clue what the role entailed.)

** **

A week into the extended excursion, and she’d already had to invest in a new pair of sneakers, and a good pair of walking boots thanks to Steve’s Energizer Bunny levels of energy. The blond, though almost infuriatingly considerate of her shortcomings, certainly saw no problem in pushing her to her limits and she had the blisters to prove it. Still, despite the lack of sleep she now had an intimate knowledge of San Francisco and had spent almost three full days slowly driving along the most beautiful coastal road she had ever seen. If someone had asked her before this trip she would have said that once you’d seen one beach you’d seen them all, but that simply wasn’t the case. From the calm deserted desert island feel of Pacifica-Sharp Park in the early morning, to the rippling waves crashing on the rocks at Bean Hollow State Beach, their first day had been highly eventful. Their second day had featured the great sweeping waves of Carmel Beach and the great sweeping cliffs of the Big Sur.

** **

Naturally, Steve wasn’t happy with the usual tourist views and insisted on pushing her further and further out of her comfort zone. Down crumbling paths and navigating across shallow pools using washed up rocks as stepping stones. Darcy had clambered down hillsides and up rock faces and had felt the exhilaration of the wind rushing through her hair as blue-white waves clashed with the rocks just below her. All around her was the wonderful plains of cerulean ocean, speckled with cobalt and azure. The horizon stretched out before her, merging with the impossibly clear blue sky under the haze of the high summer sun. 

** **

They had climbed through the hills at Pfeiffer Falls State Park, hiding under the cooling canopies of evergreen from the midday sun. Darcy had literally felt on top of the world as she looked down on the valley below and though she was not known for her moments of somber reflection she spent longer than was necessary sat on the solitary bench sipping her now-warm water and appreciating how small she really was.

** **

California, she decided, was much more than a few hills and the Walk of Fame.

** **

However, as much as Darcy had enjoyed spending three days travelling down Route 1 from San Francisco, she was a child of the celebrity era and Hollywood was a big part of that. She felt certain that Steve would have skipped the sign if he could have, but she was insistent on taking the trip, and he was far too polite to argue with her. 

** **

She probably should have researched the place before they’d gone but they had gotten into town so late the night before that all she’d wanted to do was take a hot shower and collapse in her bed. Since she was driving - and favored more space to park, she decided to pull over near the bottom of East Observatory Avenue. Though she wasn’t particularly looking forward to yet another walk, she sure as hell wasn’t up for arguing with a bunch of assholes for the one parking space left at the top of the hill.

** **

By the time they reached the Observatory, Darcy was beginning to think she had made a mistake. Especially, when she saw just how far away the sign was. Dimly, she wondered why it was never mentioned in the guide books. Then again, she reasoned, why would they want to advertise a three mile trek up a hill to any holiday goer.

They’d made it about halfway to the best vantage point, and were climbing to the top of the highest hill when they heard a scream. Steve shot her a look, before he sprinted off in the direction of the scream. By the time Darcy had reached the crest of the hill she found a young mother, who was crying and clutching at young child. She peered over the side of the hill face and was just in time to see Steve catch a snake just before it was about the bite into the leg of a smaller child. He tossed the snake aside as though it was nothing picked up the child and climbed back up the side of the hill as though that was a perfectly normal way to spend your vacation.

** **

“Oh my God, thank you.” The woman, who she guessed was British by her accent, thanked him. Tears streaming down her eyes as she reached to take the toddler back.

** **

“You’re very welcome,” Steve replied with ease. Darcy bit her lip. 

** **

Apparently she wasn’t the only one who had noticed the heroics because a crown had began to form around them and all of them seemed to recognise him. Oddly enough, their journey thus far had been fairly sheltered, and though he had been recognised a few times there had been nothing to this scale. The group of twenty quickly grew to fifty, and everyone wanted a photo with Captain America. She’d never seen him among fans before, and though he hid it relatively well, it was clear to her that he wasn’t comfortable with the adoration. Nevertheless, he posed for photos, laughed good naturedly at their jokes, and answered their questions politely.

** **

It took almost an hour to clear the crowd of people, and by the time they had the sun was high in the sky. He smiled at her sheepishly.

** **

“That was great. Good work. I think we should celebrate with you taking off your shirt.” She said cheerfully, which seemed to have thrown him.

** **

“Don’t want to cause a scene.” He said with a small smirk.

** **

“The beach, we should go to the beach.” She slapped him on the arm, and then paused to squeeze it. “Muscle beach - you’d fit right in.” She hitched her bag higher up on her shoulder and looked at him through her glasses. There was a time where she struggled to see him as anything other than Captain America, but seeing him rescue a child as though it was nothing had caught her off guard. She had become so used to seeing him as Steve, the buff but slightly geeky man she’d been travelling with, that seeing him actually do his day job had lead to a slight cognitive dissonance. She couldn’t quite place the two men together.

** **

“I, uh, don’t you want to see the sign?” He dragged a large hand over the back of his neck, and  _ maybe  _ she had been staring at him.

** **

“I’ll buy a postcard.” She said with a shrug, trying to ignore the thoughts whirling through her mind. “Besides, I want ice cream… and coffee. All of the coffee. And that isn’t going to happen here.” He looked at her for a moment, before he turned and offered her his arm. 

** **

“Shall we?” He said with a half-smile.

** **

“Lead the way Captain.” She grinned.

**** ****   
  


**4.**

** **

Vegas. It had been on Darcy’s bucket list since she was thirteen. But being there was both amazing and disappointing in equal measure. The light show was impressive, but the abundance of drunk people was enough to put her off. It was barely even ten and practically everyone on the street was wasted. That might have appealed to her back when she was in college but she had matured a lot in the years since Thor had arrived and quite frankly she would rather have been in a nice restaurant with a glass of wine. Nevertheless, she had been the one to insist on the visit and they had three whole days to savour the location, so she was in it for the long haul.

** **

“We gotta see a show.” Steve had said the moment they arrived, which is why they had ended up with tickets to see Jersey Boys. Darcy wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the theatre but she had been getting quite into the performance when a girl in front of them screamed and the older woman’s head drooped next to her and her shoulders began to shake. Steve was out of his seat before Darcy had even really registered what was going on, and had managed to navigate his way down to the two women. She’d barely gotten out of her seat by the time Steve was lifting the woman out of her seat. And couldn’t help but notice the fact that the balding man, who was sat directly behind the sick women was looking incredibly unhappy and actually stood up at one point to see over the commotion. Some people were just assholes.

** **

Still, Steve carried the woman towards the back of the theatre, straight into the First Aider - a kid, no more than twenty-five - who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. He hovered near Steve for a moment, flapping his jaw and generally looking panicked, and Darcy fought the urge to slap him in the face.

** **

“Okay, you need to call nine-one-one.” Steve said calmly, and the kid blinked several times.

** **

“On it,” Darcy replied, embarrassed that she hadn’t thought to do so until that moment. The woman started foaming at the mouth and the woman who screamed - looking at them Darcy assumed them to be mother and daughter - started hyperventilating. The very last thing they needed was for her to faint, and Steve seemed to agree with her.

** **

“Right, you,” he pointed to the kid, “help her. I’ll deal with this.” The first aider sat the younger woman a short distance away, and Steve moved the older woman so that she was in the recovery position, with her head nestled in his lap, and held his hand out for Darcy to hand him the phone.

** **

“Yes. hello. We’re at Paris hotel. I have a woman here who had a seizure..” Darcy swallowed, that didn’t sound like the best news, and she immediately understood why Steve had asked the poor kid to deal with the panicking relative. Abruptly, the woman started shaking again, and Steve shifted to give her enough room to move without hurting herself. “I’ve got a second seizure in progress, but her neck is secure, and her airway is clear.” The operator must have muttered some instructions because he checked a couple of other things, and then added. “No. How long for the ambulance?”

** **

The whole world seemed to move in slow motion, as though she wasn’t really there. But before she even understood what was happening the first responders were on scene. Steve stepped away as soon as they had taken over and moved to stand next to her. They gave the woman a shot and her shaking seemed to be slowing. Steve pulled her against him.

** **

“We did everything we could.” He said, carefully. “She’s in the best hands now.” It was almost as though he was reading her mind. She looked at the girl who was on the verge of a panic attack judging by the rate her chest was heaving in and out, and then looked back at the paramedics who were still working on the older woman.

** **

“Which one is the relative?” The closest responder asked, and Steve motioned towards the girl. “We need to get her to the ER.” He said.

** **

Five minutes later, Darcy was watching as the ambulance peeled off down the strip towards the hospital. It took a few moments, but the cotton wool seemed to have been removed from her ears and suddenly there was too much noise. She looked at Steve, who looked surprisingly good given their situation.

** **

“I can’t….” She began. She knew that they’d paid a lot for the tickets, and wouldn’t be receiving a refund, but there was no way she could face going back into the theatre after what she’d just witnessed.

** **

“I know, Darce.” He looped his arm around her again and she pressed her nose against his chest. 

** **

**5.**

** **

Darcy had been back in New York for two weeks, and in that time she had seen Steve exactly once. In a meeting, which, in her opinion, didn’t really count because they had barely exchanged three words. Since Steve’s return, he had been called into three senate hearings, involved in one all out incursion and voted People’s sexiest man alive. So, in his defense, he’d been pretty busy. And in her defense, social media had been blowing up with all the press coverage, and she was busy treading a fine line between antagonising the anti-avengers motion, while feeding the cravings of those who loved them. 

** **

As such, she had managed to secure a video of Clint practising on the target range - complete with his improvised ‘gun show; a video of Bruce cooking the team pasta; three videos of Tony blowing something up; a photo of Natasha’s left shoulder (because that was the closest that Darcy had managed to get to any photo) and an audio clip of Sam laughing hysterically. The personal nature of the media had proven popular and Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter were all calling for something from Captain America.

** **

She had debated posting some photos from their extended vacation - she had rather a nice shot of him looking out over the Grand Canyon at sunset - but that seemed too personal to share. (In truth, she was probably using that as an excuse to speak to him because she had around fifty photos of him pulling goofy faces while eating some sort of food, all of which would have satisfied the the rabid fans, without angering anyone.) Nevertheless, she spent most of the afternoon trying to locate the elusive Captain. She started in the gym, went via the conference room, headed to the labs, checked Tony’s office, went to the library, met up with Sam for coffee, only to eventually find him three hours later in the gym. 

** **

“You know, you’re a very hard man to find.” She said, as she entered the room. Steve pulled his headphones out, and offered her a smile and began to cool down on his run. 

** **

“So I’m told.” He replied with a smile. She looked at him for a moment, though he had been running flat out he wasn’t out of breath. 

** **

“I need a picture.” Darcy said simply.

** **

“It’s good to see you too.” He laughed, turned the machine off and hopped off the machine to stand in front of her

** **

“It’s work related.” She shrugged and he raised an eyebrow. “But it is good to see you.” She admitted, and made an aborted move to give him a hug. “Uh, I’m not sure whether I want to go there or not.” She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust and he laughed.

** **

“I’m not sure I’m going to give you the choice.” He responded, pulling her into a hug. And damn if he didn’t smell good - that kind of earthy masculine smell which hit all of Darcy’s buttons. “It really is good to see you.” Steve smiled. 

** **

“Not as good as it is seeing you.” She muttered. “Anyway, I, uh, need a picture - or a video or  _ something _ for the twittersphere.” She said simply.

** **

“Oh, uh, sure.” He smiled awkwardly, and dragged a large hand through his hair. “Do you just want me to stand here… or should I get cleaned up… or…” he trailed off, looking like he wanted a hole to swallow him up. She found herself smiling at him.

** **

“It wouldn’t really feel organic.” She admitted. “I just need some footage… or something. I dunno, just lift some weights, show off your arms - the internet loves arms.” Steve raised an eyebrow. “Okay,  _ I  _ love your arms and I want to share them with the world.”

** **

“Uh, thanks.” He pulled an unimpressed face.

** **

“Oh please, don’t pretend to cry over it.” She shrugged it off. “Just lift some weights and get it over with.”

** **

“I don’t think I can cope with that level of pressure.”

** **

“I don’t think you have a choice.” Steve turned to walk towards the showers. “And don’t think I won’t follow you in there.” He turned to look at her.

** **

“Look, it’s late, how about we just get coffee instead.” She looked at him for a long moment, weighing her opinions. All of the other videos were good because the they were obtained naturally, and Steve had a tendency to look stiff at the best of times. Plus, you know, she really wanted coffee.

** **

“Fine, but you still owe me a picture.” She huffed. “You’ve got five minutes soldier.” She instructed, and he winked as he headed to the showers.

** **

“I only need three.” He called.

** **

“I  _ really  _ hope that doesn’t apply to everything.” She muttered.

** **

***

** **

True to his word, Steve was back well within the five minutes, although his hair was still slightly wet. He looked good - obviously, because at that point she couldn’t really imagine anyway he could look bad, - the blue t-shirt he’d put on clung slightly to his damp skin, and he smelled like a forest after the first rain. (And Christ, wasn’t Darcy feeling poetic).

** **

“Shall we?” He offered her his arm and she smiled. 

** **

“Certainly, Captain Rogers.” She replied. “To Starbucks.” She said theatrically.

** **

“I hear there’s one on every corner now.” He said with a small smile.

** **

“I believe so.” She said.

** **

They chatted easily as they took the elevator down to the lobby, and continued to walk arm in arm out onto the street. They had the Starbucks in sight when they were intercepted by a small figure wearing a familiar red and blue shield.

** **

“Hello.” Said a small voice, and Darcy looked down to see a small tow-haired boy, maybe three years old. “I’m Luka.” He said by way of explanation.

** **

“Oh, I’m sorry.” A young woman turned around and did a double take at Steve. “Uh.” She fumbled for words and reached out to pull her son closer. Darcy was mainly just glad that she wasn’t the only one who managed to look like an idiot in front of attractive people so she offered the woman a reassuring smile.

** **

“Mom, its Cap.” He said simply, as if his mother hadn’t realised that herself, in the way only a child can state the obvious.

** **

Steve dropped to one knee so that he was looking the boy in the eye.

** **

“It sure is, pal.” He said with a warm smile. 

** **

“You’re very big.” The boy replied.

** **

“I didn’t used to be.” Steve said, with a glance up at Darcy and a small smile.

** **

“One day I’m going to be big.” He continued. “My mommy told me.” The woman in question, was still staring at Steve as though she didn’t believe what she was seeing.

** **

“Yes you are.” Steve confirmed, as he reached out and felt the boy’s arm. “I bet you’re already strong.” The boy nodded, although he looked a little abashed. Darcy, who had never been particularly fond of children, was on the verge of planning to adopt him.

** **

“He can pour his own milk now.” The mother added, looking shocked that she had managed to open her mouth.

** **

“I know he can.” Steve said, looking up to acknowledge her input with a smile and Darcy bit her lip to stop her laugh.

** **

“Are you friends with the Hulk?” 

** **

“Sometimes,” Steve said, taking a moment to look at Darcy, with an amused glint in his eye.

** **

“Daddy said his boss was the hulk- mommy said he couldn’t say the other thing.” Darcy laughed out loud at that, and the kid looked up to give her a curious look. The mother looked vaguely apologetic but also rather relieved - probably that Luka hadn’t said what her husband had actually said.

** **

“Well that’s probably for the best.” Steve admitted, and Darcy snorted again.

** **

“Hmm. I wish you were his boss. You’re my favourite.” 

** **

“Well, you know what?” He leaned towards the kid and the boy took a step forward. “You’re my favourite too.” Luka’s smile lit up his whole face, and he practically pounced forward to hug Steve, who looped his arm around the boy, drew him in and stood up. Luka laughed and patted Steve’s shoulder.

** **

“Could I get a picture of...?” The woman asked, brandishing her phone uncertainly. Steve nodded with ease.

** **

“Of course, I’d love a picture with my favourite little boy.” The mother took a couple of photos.

** **

“I, uh, could take a photo of all of you.” Darcy piped up, and the mother looked overjoyed.

** **

Darcy took several photos of the three of them, before an idea occurred to her. Watching Steve hold the boy and make him laugh by bouncing him up and down in one hand while placing a reassuring arm around his mother was enough to confirm that what she needed to drive the fandom crazy.

** **

“Would you mind if I took a picture of the two of them… I uh, I’m in charge of the Avengers social media. I mean, I can make it so that no one would recognise him.” She fumbled with the words, while Steve continued to play with the boy. Impulsively she took one last photo of them as Steve lifted the boy up onto his shoulders and the Luka covered his eyes. She looked down at the picture and then handed the phone back to the mother. “That’s a great photo.” The woman looked at her for a moment.

** **

“Do you, uh, want me to send it to you?”

** **

She got the woman - Christine - to tweet her the photo, and sent it out on all platforms within the hour. In the photo you should see how happy Luka was to meet his idol, and how happy Steve was to be around the young boy. As predicted the internet went wild, and it went on to become the most retweeted photo of the week. **** ****   
  


**** ****   
  


**+1**

** **

The Met Gala was kind of a big deal even for someone like Darcy who didn’t really appreciate fashion all that much - she wore what she liked and she liked what she wore, and that was about as far as her involvement in fashion went. Nevertheless, when Steve had invited her to be his date she had accepted without hesitation, then spent three weeks panicking about what the hell she was going to wear. After countless trips to various boutiques, and endless discussions in the lab about what would she should wear, Tony had eventually booked her an appointment with her own stylist. (He had muttered something about being sick of hearing about the damn dress, but privately Darcy wondered whether he wanted to make sure that she didn’t embarrass herself - or anyone else.)

** **

In the end she had settled on a floor length red dress, with a long trail. It was completely sleeveless on one side and had a partial sleeve on the other side. What she liked most out it, however, was how tiny it made her waist appear and what she knew everyone else would like about it was the way it displayed her (admittedly impressive) cleavage. And while she knew she had an impressive set of breasts she often felt uncomfortable displaying them because there just wasn’t a bra in existence that she would deem suitable to hold up those suckers. However, since Stark had sprung for a personal stylist the dress had been tailored to fit her perfectly, and structured to hold her in place, so there was just no way she was going to accidentally slip out of the dress, which only added to her confidence.

** **

When Steve arrived to pick her up, she didn’t miss the way his eyes dropped down to her cleavage - it seemed that even Captain America wasn’t immune to the charms of the girls. (And if Darcy was perfectly honest, if she wasn’t feeling pretty awesome about herself in the dress before he came to pick her up, seeing his reaction to it was enough to bolster her ego for at least a month.)

** **

“I think the appropriate reaction is ‘wow’.” He said with possibly the most pant-wettingly attractive smile she had ever seen in her life and she almost giggled. (Darcy was  _ not _ a giggler by nature.)

** **

“You’re not looking so bad yourself, Cap.” She managed to reply with a wink.

** **

The whole evening turned out to be rather surreal. They arrived to a flurry of camera flashes and reporters yelling questions in their direction.  _ Who’s the girl, Cap? Are we looking at the future Missus Rogers? Can you give her a kiss.  _ Steve’s smile never dropped, and he kept a reassuring hand at the small of her back as he resolutely ignored the questions. She had expected the actual event to be the calm after the storm, but as it turned out celebrities were just as interested in Captain America’s love life as the world at large. And really, you would have thought they’d have been over it.

** **

After the evening they took a car into the city, and stopped off to pick up some food at the small hole in the wall Japanese restaurant that Darcy had found when she got lost on East 45th street. Darcy ate a bowl of ramen which was bigger than her head and immediately regretted it, which is why they ended up walking back to Avengers tower. They were only about half way back when a man stepped out of the shadows brandishing a gun.

** **

“Give me all your money.” Darcy almost laughed. Firstly because the guy couldn’t have looked any more like a stereotypical mugger if he tried and, secondly, because she was literally stood next to the world’s best bodyguard. The guy was in way over his head and he didn’t even realise it. “I said give me all your money.” From the corner of her eye she saw Steve move, but she had already pulled her taser from her purse and before Steve could throw a punch, she had him on the ground.

** **

Steve stood next to her in silence for several seconds, looking down at where the man had dropped to the ground almost in disbelief.

“Think I’ll get in trouble with that?” She asked, suddenly nervous.

** **

“Uh…” Steve opened and shut his mouth and looked from her to the man on the ground and back again.

** **

“Cos, I was just - it was instinct okay. I saw the gun and I just,” she motioned tasing the man. “Besides, I think I’d rather be tased than hit by you.” She laughed awkwardly. “I just -” Her ramblings were cut off by Steve’s lips pressing against hers. When she didn’t make any attempt to pull away, one of his large hands came up to cup the back of her head and deepen the kiss.

** **

“Sorry. Sorry,.” He said, breathless.

** **

“Oh no no no.” She replied, grabbing his by his tie and pulling him back to kiss her again. 


End file.
